Bloodville Series 4: The Other Woman
by shadowglove
Summary: Sequel to Dear Mr. Fitzroy. Two weeks after Henry leaves he sends Vicki to Chloe to protect her while they try and deal with the Asteroth problem. Of course that means that Asteroth appears as well, and Chloe has a chance to banish him...at a price.


**Disclaimer: Don't own Blood Ties or Smallville.**

Sequel to "Dear Mister Fitzroy"

Written for my LiveJournal Paranormal25 150 Prompt Table. Prompt of the day # 5. Exorcism

A/N: The Exorcism rite used here is 'authentic'...or so I've been lead to believe.

* * *

It'd been two weeks since Henry Fitzroy had left to go to Toronto to save Vicki Nelson & company from the Big Bad, Asteroth.

Chloe hadn't heard a word from him since.

Then again, she wasn't surprised. When Henry put his mind to something he kept his whole attention on it and nothing could distract him.

Rudy, still recuperating from his ghost flu, was now somewhat visible, but still unable to speak, which annoyed the ghost dearly, since unlike Henry, Chloe couldn't get heads or tails of morse code, which meant that the ghost and the meta communicated _very_ difficultly. The ghost had thus decided to stay and guard Henry's place, at least until he was better and could talk, and Chloe had found herself missing the ghost as well as missing her best friend vampire.

At least _work_ never let her down, and she'd had back to back _to back_ clients, one after the other after the other, and she had to admit that it was a good thing she hadn't promised Henry she'd take care of herself---because she really would have broken that promise!

Grumbling to herself as she tried to get rid of the goo covering her after having destroyed a _Glurgg _demon that'd been eating hobbos off thirty, Chloe reminded herself to next time battle it with a _towel,_ since Glurggs were 90 per cent _liquid_. The blonde smelt of something _foul_, the goo was sticking to her persistently, and she had gotten some _really_ weird looks from people, but she hadn't cared, just wanting to get home and have a _really_ long and _scalding_ bath to get all of that stuff off of her.

But her retreat was stalled when she came upon a beautiful, tall brunette sitting on her doorstep.

Chloe hesitated, wary. "Can I...help you?"

The woman looked up from the newspaper she'd been trying to read, eyes widening when she saw Chloe and the...condition she was in. "Did you get in a fight with giant, killer _jello_ or something?"

Able to see how someone might have come to that conclusion considering the wobbling blobs stuck on her, Chloe grinned. "You could say that."

The woman blinked before standing, putting the newspaper and wiping her hands on her tight jeans. "You must be wondering...me being here..." She looked Chloe up and down curiously. "Henry sent me. I---I didn't want to come, I mean, _I'm_ the reason everything's happening, but he said that I was only getting everyone in more danger so..." she looked annoyed at that last bit. "And I thought, well, I wanted to meet the woman Henry spoke so _fondly_ about so...well..."

"You're Vicki." It all clicked in Chloe's head, and she felt like shrinking into nothing.

This beautiful, tall, attractively dressed brunette was the woman who Henry...

She then groaned, remembering that she was completely covered in gink and goo and blobs. "This is _so_ not how I imagined our first meeting."

Vicki grinned, very amused. "If anything, I can see why he finds you so interesting." She tilted her head to the side as she stepped aside to let the _much_ shorter girl to get to her apartment door. "What exactly _were_ you doing? The curiosity's killing me."

"There was a Glurgg eating hobbos off thirty." Chloe usually wouldn't tell just anyone these sorts of things, but Vicki did work very similar to hers, and if Henry trusted her then...then Chloe was going to trust her as well. Because if she didn't make friends with this girl, she was going to lose Henry.

"A _Glurgg_?" Vicki blinked. "And you fought it...by yourself?"

"Of course." Chloe snorted, unlocked the door and entering, holding it open for her guest and shutting it closed behind her. "Glurggs are 90 per cent liquid."

"And 10 percent _teeth_." Vicki commented. "They're very dangerous and...by _yourself_?"

There was a note of interest in that voice.

Chloe just shrugged and smiled. "Um...why don't you make yourself at home? I'll go bathe, repress the whole covered in goo situation, and come back out so we can talk and you can tell me how the Asteroth problem is going."

"Sure." Vicki nodded, gaze already going around the apartment.

The blonde excused herself and bathed, scrubbing her skin raw, before drying off, changing into some jeans and a comfortable shirt, and was towel-drying her hair when she waddled barefoot over to where Vicki was looking at the many drawings of Chloe Henry had done. They were the blonde's favorites, and she'd stolen them fro the vampire and framed them on the wall.

He'd been quite pleased when he'd discovered just _where_ his missing pieces were.

"This is Henry's style." Vicki didn't turn around, eyes on the drawings of Chloe, and of Chloe and Rudy, and Henry and Chloe...or the three of them. "He drew these."

"Yep. He has millions of them and so I kinda stole them." Chloe arrived by her side, feeling so _short_ compared to the other woman.

"Henry says you're a metahuman?" Vicki asked, turning to her.

"Apparently Henry's been talking a lot." Chloe frowned, never having liked people knowing about her.

"Yep, well, we had a lot of catching up to do." Vicki replied.

Chloe looked at her and frowned. "I thought you wore glasses."

"I do. Contacts."

"Oh." Chloe nodded, hands going to the pockets of her jeans. "So. Things must have been going really bad in Toronto for Henry to send you here."

"Everyone underestimated Astoreth." Vicki shook her head, eyes narrowed.

"I find that hard to believe." Chloe admitted with a small frown. "I mean, Henry never talked much about his life in Toronto, but he told me a bit about the Asteroth situation, and he always knew that the demon was a force to be reckoned with." Her gaze lowered to the markings on the inside of Vicki's wrists. "Are those his sigils?"

"What? Oh. These. Yeah."

Chloe looked up at Vicki. "Can I see them?"

Vicki nodded, raising her hands, wrists up.

The blonde hesitated a second before fingers down on each of the sigils, electricity and magic crackling instantaneously as she ran her fingers slowly over the markings, engraving them in her mind. She looked up at Vicki to see her eyes closed, her head thrown back a little. "You okay?"

"Yeah." Vicki nodded, keeping her eyes close. "It doesn't hurt---just---power recognizing power I guess. It's---kinda ticklish."

Chloe chuckled. "Well, I don't know about _power recognizing power_, but this sigils are very intricate...very pretty...despite its demonic associations. They're kinda like a pentagram, a way of focusing power, you know? They must be a very useful asset in your line of work...but if I were you, I'd seriously think of having them lasered off---if that were possible."

"Why?" Vicki asked, frowning, opening her eyes.

"Well, because they're also binding. They're sigils. _Seals_." Chloe responded, surprised that Henry hadn't figured this out before. Then again, he tended to stay away from magic, so she could forgive him for not having realized this sooner. "They will forever bind you to this Asteroth demon, and make you vulnerable to possession. And if he got inside of you...it'd be near _impossible_ to get him _out_ with these sigils on your flesh locking him down in place inside of you."

"How...do you _know_ this?" Vicki asked, shocked.

Chloe grinned bright and genuinely. "It's a part of my job to know all of this." She frowned, looking around her as suddenly she realized that the markings she'd painted inside of the apartment beneath the wallpaper were glowing faintly. "Trouble. Something's around here that's _very_ dangerous."

Vicki looked around her.

"What are the chances of that Asteroth guy tracking you to Metropolis?" Chloe wanted to know, going to the windows and peeking through the slit in the curtains at the outside world.

"Possible." Vicki admitted, going to the next window and peeking out as well. "I _do_ have these seal thingies."

"Great. _Great_." Chloe whispered before looking away from the window and taking in a deep breath, before beginning a chant in ancient summerian she'd learn by heart, knowing her eyes were going black as the magic took over.

The markings on the wall burnt through the wall paper, exploding in light, before burning themselves into the wood.

The blonde collapsed to her knees, a little confused. The protective shield had put up a _fight_ about going up.

That had never happened before.

"You're---a magic user?" Vicki asked, shocked as she helped a shaky Chloe to her feet. "Does _Henry_ know this? He _despises_ magic."

"Oh, he knows alright, but he's learnt to accept it. Sometimes he even is the one to tell me about a spell that might help me during a case." Chloe was grateful as Vicki helped her to a chair and sat her down on it. "It _must_ have been your demon..because it was harder than _ever_ to put the shield up...and _look_ at my _walls_."

Vicki looked at the symbols with distrust. "So they weren't supposed to do that?"

The blonde snorted. "I'm _renting_ this place. Believe me. They weren't!"

Vicki frowned.

"But don't worry." Chloe sighed, running her hand over her face. "Nothing's getting inside this house."

Vicki gave her a small smile, though she still looked untrusting of the symbols.

Obviously Henry's distrust of magic had rubbed off on her.

"Well, I'm pooped." The blonde stated the obvious. "There's food in the kitchen, and the spare room's down the hall to the right. Feel at home. I'd stick around and be a better hostess but fighting the Glurgg and then the protection shield..."

"No, no, totally understandable." The brunette raised her hands. "Go and rest. You earned it."

Somehow getting to her feet, Chloe gave her temporary housemate a small smile before going to her bedroom.

And while she was _dying_ to sleep...her mind was wide awake...so she began researching the sigils of Asteroth...and wondering what Henry was doing where he was right now.

* * *

The next day Chloe and Vicki made their way to Henry's apartment so Chloe could look through some of his darker volumes and see if she could find a stronger protective shield. Also, she wanted to confirm a theory she'd gotten last night after studying some of _her_ darker volumes on seals and sigils. If so, she might have a way to help Vicki, but the blonde didn't want to get the brunette's hope up in case it panned out. Chloe really didn't know how to feel about Vicki, she was a little wary and uncomfortable with her...but that was most probably her resentment speaking. She had to admit to herself that she felt insecure while around the beautiful woman who had been so important to Henry that he'd moved.

"So this is his home." Vicki announced, looking around Henry's apartment in curiosity.

"Yeah." Chloe looked up when there was intense, desperate knocking.

Vicki jumped.

"Don't worry, thats just Rudy." Chloe smiled at her. "He's Henry's ghostly roommate. Usually he's visible and can talk, but he has the flu right now, so he can only communicate through morse code...and unfortunately I can't understand morse code...but he's probably just wanting to know why I brought you here." She turned to the empty space in front of her. "Don't worry, Rudy. This is Vicki Nelson, Henry's...friend..." She cleared her throat. "She's in danger so Henry sent her to me, and we're here so I can look through his books. So don't worry, we'll be in and out."

The rapping continued fast and furious.

"Why do you keep doing that?" Chloe frowned. "You _know_ I can't understand it when you do that."

Vicki looked at Chloe in curiosity.

The blonde turned to her. "Come on, he's acting weird. We'll get the books and go somewhere else."

"Sure." Vicki nodded, following her to the bookstands where Henry kept his grimoires and such.

Chloe told her the names of the books she was looking for, and the two searched for the books, Rudy's rapping sounding like _pounding_.

The blonde frowned, glancing up, before shaking her head.

He was being so _temperamental_.

But she forgot that thought and smiled when she found the one of the sigils she'd been looking for. Opening the book she skimmed through it before finding what she was looking for, and losing herself to the reading, frowning slightly. It was---it was what she'd thought---but more intense. Her eyes narrowed as she continued to read through it, and winced when she read about the many various consequences or repercussions, understanding why it was such an obscure practice.

The blonde gulped, hoping it wouldn't come to that.

"Found them!" Vicki announced, pulling out the two books. "They were actually side by side. How lucky was _that_?"

"Well, they deal with the same things, so Henry probably has these books categorized by what they're for." Chloe announced, closing the book she was reading, and was about to suggest they leave...when a lamp was thrown against the bookshelf between them, breaking on impact, causing both females to scream and jump apart.

"I thought you said he was friendly!" Vicki held up the two books like shields.

"He _is_!" Chloe looked around her. "Rudy! What are you _doing_?!" She hurried towards Vicki, and both dodged the _table_ that the lamp had been resting on, as it was hurled towards them.

The women made it to the door and closed it behind them in time for something _else_ to break against it.

They leaned against the door.

Chloe frowned. "The flu must have him _insane_."

Vicki shook her head. "Let's just get out of here. I need a coffee. And maybe some chinese."

They made there way to a little chinese place close to Henry's and ordered before pouring over the books together, looking at different protection spells. Chloe noticed Vicki's gaze coming up form the book to just look at _her_ thoughtfully when she thought the blonde wasn't noticing, and it unnerved Chloe a little, but she guessed that Vicki was as interested in the other woman in Henry's life as Chloe had been of _her_. And anyway, it must _shock_ Vicki that Henry's friend was so immersed in what he liked to call the 'dark arts', especially since their...thing...had been momentarily ended because of a spell Vicki had done. Chloe didn't know _what_ spell Vicki had used to make Henry _move_, but she guessed Vicki might think Henry a little bit of a hypocrite if he hung out with Chloe.

Chloe kinda thought that sometimes herself.

"This is a good one." The blonde pointed out a particular spell. "It would definitely help hide you from Asteroth."

Vicki's gaze lowered to the specific spell, gaze going over the ingredients. "Those are some pretty hardcore things you'd have to get to perform it."

"I know where to get them." Chloe refused to look up from the book. "I could get them by tomorrow if I see my supplier tonight."

Vicki raised an eyebrow. "You would use those ingredients."

"Of course." Chloe closed the book, uncomfortable. Vicki was questioning her the way Henry would have if he were there. "Sometimes the end _does_ justify the means."

Vicki blinked. "This is _nothing_ like what I did. And yet he hasn't left you."

"I think there's a big difference. This wasn't done to _him_, and he's not _in love_ with me." Chloe snapped, defensive, before taking in a deep breath, calming herself. "We'll do the spell, and you'll be fine. And you can go back to Toronto."

Vicki was silent by her side.

* * *

"What'cha doing that you need these ingredients?" Happy wanted to know, raising an eyebrow as he looked at her list. "And who's the broad?"

"None of your business." Chloe replied coolly. "On both accounts."

Happy pouted, looking put out. "You're always so _mean_ to me, Chloe Baby. I always treat you like a dame and yet you just lock me out."

The blonde rolled her eyes. "How soon can you get me those ingredients?"

"Tomorrow morning. You know I do special delivery for you." Happy responded, putting the list away and sending Vicki a look before returning his attention to Chloe. "So you ditched Fitzroy as a sidekick and got Curvella instead? I don't know if that was a smart choice, I mean, _sure_, this one's eye candy...but nothing beats a vampire as help in your line of work."

"Did he just call me Eye Candy?" Vicki wanted to know, snorting.

"Believe me, that's one of his classier nick names." Chloe responded, before turning back to Happy. "Bring the stuff over to my place when you get them. Its urgent. So no dallying."

"Is your cousin going to be there like last time?" Happy wanted to know, leering. "Now _she's_ one MILF I'd like to..."

Chloe slapped him up the back of his head, sending his hat flying.

"Easy, easy!" Happy threw his hands up. "Don't get jealous Chloe Baby! You're still my number one girl!"

Vicki looked like she was fighting amusement.

Chloe, on the other hand, was fighting annoyance. "Just get it for me, Happy." With that she turned and motioned for Vicki to follow.

They'd been out all day, and now as they made their way back to Chloe's apartment that night they were both tired. The blonde had to admit that Vicki had been useful to her as they investigated one of Chloe's cases, decided that the client had been wrong to assume there was anything supernatural going on...it was just a normal case of cheating spouse. If only she could relax around Vicki, Chloe was sure that she would be able to make friends with the woman who Henry loved.

Her thoughts were interrupted when she saw a _hearse_ parked outside her apartment.

"What the _hell_?" She asked, taking a step towards the ridiculously large thing.

Vicki smirked. "Well, this just cuts my fun short."

"What do you mean?" Chloe asked, turning towards her, curious and confused.

Suddenly Chloe's door flew open, and Henry appeared, eyes black, face angular as his demon showed, fangs protruding. "Get _away_ from her!"

Chloe turned to look at Henry, eyes wide. _Everyone_ had gone insane! First Rudy, now Henry---! She turned to Vicki and froze when she saw her eyes go blood red.

And her body went cold as suddenly everything made horrifying sense.

"Asteroth."

"In the _flesh_!" Vicki's smile was evil as she reached for Chloe and in the blink of an eye and her using as a shield, something sharp pressing against her neck threateningly. "You know, nightwalker, I'm surprised it took you this long to realize where I was headed and come to rescue her."

Chloe suddenly wished she'd recharged her cellular and kept it on. She didn't have a home phone, so Henry must have been calling her _relentlessly_ to try and warn her.

"Let _go_ of her!" Henry hurried down the stairs and stopped a couple of feet from them when that sharp thing was pressed harder against Chloe's neck.

Two other people, a tall handsome blonde man in a trench coat, and a tiny goth hurried out of the apartment behind him, stopping when the saw the scene.

"I was _curious_ to see who it was that'd caught your eye. We'd proven to have _similar_ tastes in the past...and we still do. She's _scrumptious_." Vicki...or Asteroth in Vicki's flesh, licked the side of Chloe's face.

The blonde closed her eyes tightly and cringed.

Henry snarled, feral.

"Vicki, get control." The blonde man was saying. "You can get it out of you Vicki, fight!"

Asteroth laughed. "Shut it, Celluci. Vicki's trapped in here. She's my permanent guest."

"Let her _go_!" The gothic young woman looked close to tears. "Just let her go! You can possess me again if you want! But just let her go!"

"I never wanted _you_!" Asteroth made a face in disgust. "It was _always_ Vicki's body I desired. And now. It's mine."

"What exactly does that say about you?" Chloe wanted to know. "Wanting so badly to be in a _woman's_ body?"

There was a pause and then there was laughter. "What can I say? I've been in hell for the last couple of hundred years."

"I'm going to _kill_ you once and for all!" Henry snarled, unlike anything Chloe had ever seen him.

"You going to kill Vicki?" Vicki's voice was taunting. "Because you will. I'm anchored in her body, and no exorcism is going to get me out now!"

Chloe closed her eyes.

_Solvo animus ex signum quod EGO mos persolvo penitentia_.

"Let go of Chloe!" Henry ordered. "She has _nothing_ to do with this!"

"That might be...but she's a deliciously dark little dish. I think I'll make her my Queen when I make this world my Hell." Asteroth chuckled. "I never thought I'd ever be in a lesbian relationship!"

_Solovo animus ex signum quod EGO mos persolvo penitentia._

"Vicki!" Celluci called out. "Fight him!"

"_Solvo animus ex signum quod EGO mos persolvo penitentia._" Chloe whispered under her breath, eyes closed tightly feeling the magic gather in the pit of her stomach, making the hairs on her body stand on end.

"Did you say something, ducks?" Asteroth asked, curious.

"_Solvo animus ex signum quod EGO mos persolvo penitentia."_ Chloe could feel the power building up in her fingernails...could _feel_ claws of _light_ appearing from her fingertips.

"I can't _heaaaar_ yooou." The demon taunted.

"_Solvo animus ex signum quod EGO mos persolvo penitentia!_" Chloe opened her eyes, knowing they were just as black and Henry's. "You _bastard_." And with that she reached up rapidly and scratched through the sigils on Vicki's wrists, the claws of light breaking the symbols and causing them to _explode_.

Vicki screamed, holding at her wrists, letting go of Chloe.

The blonde held herself up straight despite the pain entering her body as she turned towards Vicki, eyes still black as she began the exorcism rite she'd learnt by heart due to the many possessions she had to deal with on her job. "_Exorcizamus te, omnis immundus spiritus, omnis satanica potestas, omnis incursio infernalis adversarii, omnis legio, omnis congregatio et secta diabolica, in nomine et virtute Domini Nostri Jesu + Christi, eradicare et effugare a Dei Ecclesia, ab animabus ad imaginem Dei conditis ac pretioso divini Agni sanguine redemptis + . Non ultra audeas, serpens callidissime, decipere humanum genus, Dei Ecclesiam persequi, ac Dei electos excutere et cribrare sicut triticum + . Imperat tibi Deus altissimus + , cui in magna tua superbia te similem haberi adhuc prÃ¦sumis; qui omnes homines vult salvos fieri et ad agnitionem veritaris venire. Imperat tibi Deus Pater + ; imperat tibi Deus Filius + ; imperat tibi Deus Spiritus Sanctus + . Imperat tibi majestas Christi, Ã¦ternum Dei Verbum, caro factum + , qui pro salute generis nostri tua invidia perditi, humiliavit semetipsum facfus hobediens usque ad mortem; qui Ecclesiam suam Ã¦dificavit supra firmam petram, et portas inferi adversus eam nunquam esse prÃ¦valituras edixit, cum ea ipse permansurus omnibus diebus usque ad consummationem sÃ¦culi. Imperat tibi sacramentum Crucis + , omniumque christianÃ¦ fidei Mysteriorum virtus +. Imperat tibi excelsa Dei Genitrix Virgo Maria + , quÃ¦ superbissimum caput tuum a primo instanti immaculatÃ¦ suÃ¦ conceptionis in sua humilitate contrivit. Imperat tibi fides sanctorum Apostolorum Petri et Pauli, et ceterorum Apostolorum + . Imperat tibi Martyrum sanguis, ac pia Sanctorum et Sanctarum omnium intercessio +."_

Asteroth began to bend over, holding his stomach, trying to keep his hold on the body despite his seals being broken, having disappeared in the flash of light, the exorcism rite, and Vicki's soul obviously trying to kick him out.

Henry, who hadn't heard what she'd been chanting before the claws of light, could hear what she as saying _now_, and he joined in. "_Ergo, draco maledicte et omnis legio diabolica, adjuramus te per Deum + vivum, per Deum + verum, per Deum + sanctum, per Deum qui sic dilexit mundum, ut Filium suum unigenitum daret, ut omnes qui credit in eum non pereat, sed habeat vitam Ã¦ternam: cessa decipere humanas creaturas, eisque Ã¦ternÃ¦ perditionÃ¬s venenum propinare: desine EcclesiÃ¦ nocere, et ejus libertati laqueos injicere. Vade, satana, inventor et magister omnis fallaciÃ¦, hostis humanÃ¦ salutis. Da locum Christo, in quo nihil invenisti de operibus tuis; da locum EcclesiÃ¦ uni, sanctÃ¦, catholicÃ¦, et apostolicÃ¦, quam Christus ipse acquisivit sanguine suo. Humiliare sub potenti manu Dei; contremisce et effuge, invocato a nobis sancto et terribili nomine Jesu, quem inferi tremunt, cui Virtutes cÃ¦lorum et Potestates et Dominationes subjectÃ¦ sunt; quem Cherubim et Seraphim indefessis vocibus laudant, dicentes: Sanctus, Sanctus, Sanctus Dominus Deus Sabaoth."_

"NO!" Asteroth screamed. "You'll all regret this!"

Chloe's whole body was shaking in pain. She felt like she was on fire, and yet she pressed on. "_Domine, exaudi orationem meam. Et clamor meus ad te veniat. ... Oremus. Eus coeli, Deus terrÃ¦, Deus Angelorum, Deus Archangelorum, Deus Patriarcharum, Deus Prophetarum, Deus Apostolorum, Deus Martyrum, Deus Confessorum, Deus Virginum, Deus qui potestatem habes donare vitam post mortem, requiem post laborem; quia non est Deus prÃ¦ter te, nec esse potest nisi tu creator omnium visibilium et invisibilium, cujus regni non erit finis: humiliter majestati gloriÃ¦ tuÃ¦ supplicamus, ut ab omni infernalium spirituum potestate, laqueo, deceptione et nequitia nos potenter liberare, et incolumes custodire digneris. Per Christum Dominum nostrum. Amen._"

Together, she and Henry finished the exorcism rite as one voice. "_Ab insidiis diaboli, libera nos, Domine. Ut Ecclesiam tuam secura tibi facias libertate servire, te rogamus, audi inimicos sanctÃ¦ EcclesiÃ¦ humiliare digneris, te rogamus audi nos. AUDI NOS!"_

With a scream, Asteroth was forced out of Vicki's body and back to hell...Vicki collapsed to the ground, Celluci and the goth girl hurrying to her.

Chloe felt herself sway and she would have fallen if Henry wasn't suddenly there, holding her.

The pain was gone, but she knew that was only something momentary.

She'd have to pay the price for what she'd just done, and the thought made her shiver.

But still, it didn't matter.

She'd saved the woman Henry loved.

"Are you okay?" Henry whispered, holding her close, trembling slightly. "What--? How did you-? What did you do? What were you saying at first?" He then pulled her to him tightly, body shaking even worse. "I was so _terrified_!"

Chloe held onto him tightly, trembling a bit herself, and yet unable to believe how Henry could just make things so _right_ by just _being_ there. "At least I understand why Rudy went loco. He must have sensed Asteroth in Vicki somehow and tried to warn me."

"This is all my fault. I sent her to you not realizing until it was too late that Asteroth was already inside of her!" Henry sounded so self-loathing. "And then it was day and we had to _drive_ in Coreen's hearse so I could ride in her coffin during the day and be safe from the sun and..."

Chloe blinked. The hearse was _Coreen's?_ And she had a personal _coffin_?!?

Vicki was on her feet, a little steadily, looking at her now unmarked wrists, and asking where her glasses were.

Coreen, whom Chloe guessed was the goth girl, was jumping up and down in excitement.

Celluci pulled out a pair of glasses from his pockets and handed them to Vicki, who gratefully took them and put them on.

Chloe tried to pull away from Henry to introduce herself and make sure that Vicki was okay...

...but Henry wasn't letting go.

He held onto her tightly, face buried in her hair, _trembling_. "I don't know what I would have done if something had happened..."

Gulping, Chloe closed her eyes. "It's okay, Henry. Everything is going to be fine now."

She wondered if he could hear the lie in her voice.

* * *

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